COURAGE

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” Mary Anne Radmacher

I’m sitting in the quiet of my kitchen. There’s no one else home except me and our dog, Daisy — but she’s already taking her first nap of the day. She doesn’t care much about my thoughts, or anything else for that matter; she’s just happy being loved! 🥰

One of my favorite things to do every day is open my coffee cup cabinet and decide which cup I’ll be drinking my morning coffee from. For me, it’s an adventure — and it brings me great pleasure. The coffee finished brewing a few minutes ago; it tastes delicious, and the house smells as if angels just visited. The kitchen is clean and organized, and Alexa is playing Mozart.

Classical music will always remind me of my sweet brother, JR, whom I carry in my heart daily. It also brings back memories of the many years our youngest daughter played the violin with several different orchestras. Ahhh, as they say, “the good old times.” These are also good times — just different.

The cup I chose today speaks of courage, and it’s one of (if not the) favorites in my collection. I love the design, the style, the texture of the material, the colors, the message — everything. It made me think about courage this morning.

I think courage and I have been long-time friends.

I can confidently say that I’ve been very courageous my entire life, especially when I’ve been afraid. We don’t only practice courage when we are scared; I think courage is also about determination and self-awareness.

When I look back at the most crucial times in my life when I have been courageous, I think it started when I was around twelve years old and our family dynamics changed after my dad lost his business. His outlook on life shifted suddenly — and not in a positive way. I needed courage to continue seeing life as something beautiful and not let my surroundings affect my young heart too much. Thank God for my mother, who taught me how to be courageous from day one.

Another time in my life when courage walked side by side with me was when I got married and moved thousands of miles away from my family and friends to a brand-new world of cultures and experiences. I prayed a lot in those days, and courage and determination helped make that journey possible. Of course, love — because without love, this story wouldn’t have been possible at all.

As I think about these moments in my life — moments of courage — the one that has had the biggest impact was when my youngest brother died suddenly a couple of years ago. One day, I’ll write about that journey — everything in due time. But for now, I can say that I had to show up for myself, time and time again, to survive the horrific reality I was faced with. Courage became my daily practice… and so much more.

But courage isn’t always a big, dramatic act of battle or accomplishment. I’ve also needed — and still need — courage when people’s words or actions hurt me, or when I’ve been treated unjustly. I need courage when my invisible chronic pain (and this one’s a big one) tries to stop me from doing the ordinary, everyday things in life — and I have to push myself because, on most days, I have no other choice. I need courage when I witness injustices or behaviors that don’t align with my morals or ideals — and I have to act on them.

I need courage to care for myself, to nurture myself, and to put myself first so that I can be there for others.

And I could go on and on — as could you. ❤️

Courage doesn’t have to be dramatic. Courage is taking action in spite of fear, doubt, or tiredness.

I’m proud of the many times I’ve been courageous. It has expanded my horizons and helped me appreciate life — and the ordinary and extraordinary gifts within it — in a much deeper way.

I invite you to reflect on the times you’ve shown up for yourself, when courage played a big part in doing so. We all have a story. 🌿